Carmel Mayor Jim Brainard won the Republican primary May 7 after going through what he called “the nastiest campaign” season in which he’s ever been involved.
Brainard earned 55.8 percent of the vote in defeating Hamilton County Councilor Fred Glynn, the mayor’s closest margin of victory since his first run for office in 1995. In the months leading up to the election, both campaigns accused each other of bribery and Carmel’s clerk-treasurer claimed that Brainard had harassed her.
After the results came in, Brainard thanked his campaign team and supporters as they celebrated the victory at Donatello’s Italian Restaurant on Main Street.
“This is a group effort, and we all worked really hard, so thank you,” he said to the crowd. “This means that we can continue to grow the city the way that most people in the city want to see it grow.”
He also said he plans to “listen very carefully” to Carmel residents who didn’t vote for him.
“There are people who are afraid and scared and concerned about the direction of this city, so we need to all work hard and listen to them to try to answer their questions and make them feel comfortable about where we’re headed in this city,” Brainard said.
After learning the results, Glynn thanked his family for supporting him through the journey of a campaign that he said focused on integrity, hard work and a shared vision for the future of Carmel.
“I hope that Mayor Jim Brainard will listen to the countless voices that supported my message of fiscal responsibility, bringing our debt under control and considering limiting the number of terms for the office of mayor,” Glynn said. “I will continue to serve Hamilton County as a county councilman, and I will continue to hold this administration accountable as a proud citizen of Carmel.”
In other municipal races, every candidate endorsed by Brainard won re-election except Ron Carter, an at-large city councilor who first took office in 1996, the same year as Brainard. In the at-large city council race, political newcomer Tim Hannon – who was not endorsed by Brainard – joined city council incumbents Kevin Woody Rider and Jeff Worrell in earning three available seats.
Hannon said he thought he had a “good shot” at winning.
“We’re just going to take today and be very thankful for all of our supporters and volunteers,” he said. “It was very much a grassroots campaign.”
Adam Aasen defeated Dave Hommel to win the Southeast District seat, a spot currently held by Worrell. Incumbent Tony Green defeated Matt Milam in the Southwest District, which included votes from Home Place residents for the first time since being annexed by Carmel. Incumbent Bruce Kimball defeated Chauncey Bogan to retain his seat in the Central District, and Incumbent City Court Judge Brian Poindexter defeated Angela Swenson.
Five of the city council races have Democratic opposition in November’s general election, although the Hamilton County Democratic Party has until June 30 to appoint candidates in uncontested races.
